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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27789367">Toska</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillifyVilify/pseuds/ChillifyVilify'>ChillifyVilify</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Post PTSD, Self-Doubt, Self-Harm, actually working through your problems in a mature and meaningful way wow who'da thunked it, help I don't know what I'm doing aaaaaaaa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:22:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,932</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27789367</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillifyVilify/pseuds/ChillifyVilify</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been almost a year since monsterkind reached the Surface. Since then, much has changed for everyone in the world. But Link, the ex-Hero of Hyrule, can't help but feel a growing apprehension as the one-year anniversary nears as he battles with the lingering vestiges of his own depression. And all the while, just below the surface brews a malevolent stew of hatred. A sequel to Hopeless LOVE.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Toska</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24028792">Hopeless LOVE</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillifyVilify/pseuds/ChillifyVilify">ChillifyVilify</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Remember that time I said Hopeless LOVE wasn't getting an sequel?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Yeah, I thought so too. But I was bored and have been experiencing writer's block with Hylian's Guide to Sourcery so I figured I don't really have much better to do. Well, actually, there's a lot of better things I could be doing… you know what I mean.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>DISCLAIMERS: See HL or whatever. I don't own any of this, I swear.</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Chapter 1: Saturday</em>
</p><p>It was the handshake heard 'round the world.</p><p>At least, that's what I heard some people call it.</p><p>When monsters had first begun to interact with Hylians and humans again, the results were… well, about as catastrophic as I had expected. Obviously, there had been the predicted fear from humans regarding the fact that a bunch of lookalikes for the evil entities that had plagued their world for so long, but there were also other problems. Namely, there was the issue of where the monsters would stay. Obviously they had the Underground, but monsterkind was naturally reluctant. Eventually they claimed the mountain that held the tunnel to the Underground and the area to the northwest of Hyrule, between Zora's Domain and Death Mountain and a bit further beyond. It was plenty of room for them. There were also the issues of trade and whatnot, the question of what Hryule did with the mindless monsters that were already here, and a whole host of other unforeseen problems. Fortunately, a handshake between Zelda's father and King Asgore cemented that the Hyrule-Monster relation was stable and friendly, if not as close as the Kingdom of Monster's ties to the Gorons and Zoras. Speaking of them, they welcomed the newly freed monsters with open arms. The Gerudo were the last to establish relations with the new group, and they were welcoming to the female portion of their civilization.</p><p>That was almost six months ago, and since then most people have gotten used to the new monsters, although feelings of tension were still around- especially in more rural Hyrule. The other aftershocks of this new development were still being felt. The biggest of these was probably that the following for the Golden Goddesses was beginning to wane. I guessed it was because the revelation that an entire civilization had been sealed away and never mentioned again. It also became very clear very quickly that monsterkind was much more technologically advanced compared to the surface dwellers. Interestingly, they refuse to trade said technology to the Hylians and others because apparently society had to progress at its own pace and giving them their tech now would effectively give Hyrule culture shock to itself, which everyone pretty much accepted. I also suspected that part of it was because of monsters' lack of Determination, but I didn't have any real proof of that.</p><p>"Fairy boy? You doing alright?"</p><p>"Ah!" I jumped, realizing that I'd been lost in thought for a while now. I was never going to get over his jumpiness, was I? "Sorry, I was-"</p><p>"It's nothing," Malon mentioned, walking past him. "You just looked sad."</p><p>"No, I'm- I'm fine," I replied, focusing on the task at hand. As soon as I had left the Underground, I'd ridden back to Lon Lon Ranch to apologize to her. For… well, being a moron. She'd just hugged Epona in response.</p><p>And then she'd hugged me.</p><p>Goddesses, she was great.</p><p>He'd been offered a room at the Ranch, which I'd graciously accepted. I had insisted, however, that I pay for my room and board with my own labor. That ended up being exactly what they needed, because Lon Lon milk happened to be a hit amongst monsterkind. All in all, it was shaping up to be a bright future, for everyone.</p><p>So why did it feel so… bad?</p><p>No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong. I couldn't help but feel like everything was on the cusp of going belly-up. I hated that. By all rights, things should be going well. I'd gotten over Navi. I'd come back to the Surface. Everyone was happy.</p><p>So why couldn't I feel happy?</p><p>Well, I <em>could</em> feel happy. Sometimes. But it would never last for too long. Every time, without fail, it would end. Wasn't it supposed to be fixed by now? I understood that these things didn't happen overnight, but it had been a year now! Surely… surely…</p><p>"Fairy boy, you're drifting off again." Malon said, snapping her fingers directly under his sharp nose.</p><p>"Muh? Oh, right, sorry," I apologized, focusing on the task at hand. This was driving him crazy. Something had to be done about this… lack of progress, and soon.</p><p>My comprehension near the end of his stint in the Underground hadn't been lost. He knew that Navi loved him. I knew why Navi had left. But, for the first time in his life, this problem didn't loop back to Navi. It went back to… him. <em>I</em> shouldn't feel this way. <em>I</em> was supposed to be happy… right?</p><p>Right?</p><p>"So, how's your day been so far?" Malon asked, clearly trying to make small talk.</p><p>"Same as yesterday," I replied. "Nice and peaceful. You?"</p><p>"Same."</p><p>My pocket abruptly buzzed. "Oh hang on, I'm getting a call," I said, digging up his phone from his hip.</p><p>Malon's eyes went wide, like they always did when she saw monster technology. It really was fascinating stuff, now that I thought about it. "Aren't your calls with Alphys and Sans on Sundays? It's Thursday."</p><p>"Yeah," I said. "It might be someone else, though. So I should pick up anyways."</p><p>I gingerly pressed the green button on the phone that would pick up the call. "Hello?"</p><p>"Hello, my child!" Toriel's tinny voice emanated from the phone.</p><p>"Miss Toriel?" I asked. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting you to call! Say, did you get a new phone? Mine didn't recognize the number."</p><p>"You would be correct! I just wanted to chat a bit about some… pertinent matters. Are you free?"</p><p>"Yeah, I could talk now," I replied, tossing an apple to Epona. "What's up?"</p><p>"Well, first of all, I would like to talk about your education. I understand that you work at Lon Lon Ranch and use that to buy your keep, but I still think it's important for you to attend school."</p><p>"It's not like I'm not learning <em>anything</em>," I protested. "I'm working through those books you sent me… slowly…"</p><p>Toriel had sent me at least a dozen gargantuan tomes last year's fall as a present of some kind, to help with my learning. I had never been the best reader- not for lack of trying, of course- and I was even worse with writing. But once I got going, and I formulated exactly what I wanted to say and how to say it... I could <em>really</em> write. Numbers and the sciences, though, were the bane of my existence. I couldn't make heads nor tails of them. Maybe it was a product of all the time I had spent solving puzzles. I was used to finding a solution and then testing it with the components that I had, which was how I solved the puzzles in the temples and in the Underground. But for maths and sciences, that usually just let to me wasting my time trying an answer that was incorrect to begin with. So I studied with Malon, who took to biology like I had once taken to swordsmanship, and we helped each other out.</p><p>"I am glad to hear it, my child, but half of schooling is learning to cooperate with your peers. Since the next school year is coming up, I was wondering if you would like a seat at my school? You'd get to see quite a few familiar faces, and being cooped up in that ranch can't be good for you."</p><p>"Well, I'd need time to work," I explained. "That takes up a lot of time-"</p><p>"Fairy boy, what's Queen Toriel talking about?" Malon asked, evidently having overheard a bit of the conversation.</p><p>"She's offering for me to go to her school," I said, "but I've gotta work here-"</p><p>"Hey, it's really OK. You're a great help, but you don't have to work for us. As far as we're concerned, you're family."</p><p>She laughed, and I was forced to crack a smile in return. I couldn't help it. Her positivity was infectious, however fleeting it ended up being on my end.</p><p>"I'll think about it," I told Toriel.</p><p>"That's all I ask for, small one. Now, I-"</p><p>"Hey mom, who're you talking to?" Asriel's voice said.</p><p>"Oh, Link."</p><p>"Hey Link! How are things?"</p><p>"Can't complain! You?"</p><p>"Pretty good! I still can't believe we've gotten… well, here!"</p><p>"Neither can I!" I laughed, patting a nearby horse as I left the stable.</p><p>"Say, Link, we're coming up on our two-year anniversary, and we've been wondering if you wanted to come up to the Kingdom for it! You were the one who let us out of here, after all!"</p><p>He paused for a moment. "That sounds… fun! When is it?"</p><p>"Next Saturday!"</p><p>"Hm… yeah, I can make that! Count me in."</p><p>"Alright, great! I'll tell Dad!"</p><p>There was a pause for a few moments.</p><p>"Well, my son… stole my thunder," Toriel admitted bashfully. "That was all I was going to ask you. I'll tell Sans tomorrow. I'll let you go now… stay safe!"</p><p>"You too, miss Toriel," I said, before hanging up. It was admittedly getting pretty late in the day, and I <em>was</em> getting pretty tired.</p><p>Next Saturday, huh. I'd have to mark that.</p><p>
  <strong>!0*0!</strong>
</p><p>It was Saturday, a week before the Festival. A cordial invitation had appeared in the mail Friday afternoon that had formally invited me to the two-year celebration. It said that I shouldn't bring anyone else with me, which I guess made sense: it was a celebration of monsterkind, and they wanted to keep it as such. The only reason they were probably inviting me, a Hylian, was because I helped them be free of the Underground As far as I knew, none of the monsters had ever told anyone about me, and it was better that way. I didn't want to get harassed by anyone. Nevertheless, Malon made me promise that I recorded the whole thing for her so I could show her what it was like when I got back. It also said that it wanted me there extra early, so I'd probably end up leaving tomorrow. But that was tomorrow.</p><p>Right now, I was focusing on what was in front of me.</p><p>It was a very nice cliffside, wasn't it?</p><p>It was weird. I'd been hit with a sense of wanderlust, nostalgia, and melancholy almost as soon as I set the letter down in the Lon family kitchen, along with every feeling in between. So I took the rest of the day off and headed for the Lost Woods. I didn't go far; maybe a few miles in. In fact, if I squinted, I could almost see the ranch off in the distance. It was roughly three o'clock in the afternoon- enough time such that I could get back before sundown. But even now, with fresh wind in my finally uncapped hair, I couldn't help but feel… wary. Disconcerted. Like I was setting up for a fall. And the longer it went without something going wrong… the worse it would be.</p><p>That being said, didn't I spend enough time suffering before my escape from the Underground to warrant that things would go well for me? Hell comes in threes, sure, but doesn't heaven do the same?</p><p>I sat down on the cliffside, hearing the stone shift underneath me, and sighed. I hadn't been to this exact place before. It was… refreshing. My ears twitched as I heard something rustle behind me, and I jumped to my feet out of instinct. When I saw exactly what had interrupted me, though, I couldn't help but feel a sense of embarrassment. I'd recognize that wooden face anywhere, especially the little gold and purple lights hovering nearby.</p><p>"Don't scare me like that!" I breathed, half laughing and half exasperated.</p><p>Tatl cackled. "Still as jumpy as ever! How long's it been? Two years?"</p><p>"I have no idea," I replied, getting to my feet. "Things have been going pretty well so far, tho-"</p><p>I was cut off by the distinct noise of something cracking. Eyes going wide, I looked down just a split second too late. I guess my sudden shift of movement caused the already fragile cliff face to give way. In hindsight, I probably should have realized this before I decided to sit down on it, but I was feeling whimsical and wanted a view to reflect on.</p><p>Karma's a bitch.</p><p>I fell for about two and a half seconds- well, fell wasn't exactly the right word. It was more like really bumpy rolling. However, I always seemed to land on the same area- the side of my left shoulder. After I came to a stop at the base of the steep hill, I gingerly stood up again, shoulder hurting like mad. I took one look at my shoulder and sighed in relief; it was just dislocated, and it hadn't gotten bloody.</p><p>After a few quick inhalations, I pushed the arm back into its socket and it felt mostly better. I breathed out, feeling better somehow. That didn't make a lot of sense, until a few seconds later when I put the pieces together.</p><p>That bout of bad luck had to mean that I wasn't about to undergo something catastrophic! That was wonderful! I felt… better about things. And that was what really mattered.</p><p>"Hey Link, you alright down there?" Tael yelled.</p><p>"I'm fine, just a bruise!" I hollered back, before making my way back up for a nice chat, and maybe a game of hide and seek.</p><p>That was a lie. It wasn't just a bruise. It was the inklings of a theory.</p><p>
  <strong>!0*0!</strong>
</p><p>Night had fallen. The only sounds in Lon Lon Ranch was the soft clucking of chickens, the gentle breeze over the grass, and the almost silent slithering of steel on steel. I wasn't too worried, though; after all, I knew exactly where the sounds were coming from.</p><p>I hadn't drawn my sword in a while, to be quite frank. I hadn't really needed to. I laughed to myself a bit; I'd never thought I'd ever say <em>those </em>words. I practiced with it enough to keep fresh with my swordsmanship, but I rarely ever moved it from the corner of my room beyond that. Well, there were those times when I acted as a very short bodyguard for a milk run, but I hadn't actually had to use said sword during the aforementioned milk run, so I didn't count it.</p><p>But I wasn't trying to practice my bladework at this time of night. I had a theory to test.</p><p>I could just make out the glint of the metal in the dim light of the night. It was a new moon, so it was even darker than usual. I took off my shirt, apprehensive. Gripping the hilt, I sucked in a breath…</p><p>And drew a short, shallow line along my right shoulder.</p><p>Pain blossomed along the line as the wound slowly oozed blood. It felt… almost… relieving? I had never thought to do this… to remind myself that I was still in control. It offered reprieve from my own slowly building anxiety. It…</p><p>I drew another line. Then a third. Then a fourth.</p><p>Wait.</p><p>What the fuck was I doing? This was bad! This wasn't right! This wasn't how healthy people acted! Was I going crazy? What was wrong with me? This was the opposite of helpful! I needed to stop!</p><p>With a barely stifled gasp, I dropped my sword. It hit the bed itself, fortunately, and it didn't make any sound. I wasn't focused on it, though. I needed to wrap this up before I bled out- or worse, someone else saw.</p><p>I grabbed my sword and darted out of the room, downstairs. I knew exactly where I could find bandages; Talon had just stocked up on them in case one of the horses broke a leg or something. I wouldn't need to use too many.</p><p>I slipped into the stable, silent as a mouse. The door swung open on well-oiled hinges, not making a single sound. It was black as pitch, and I navigated it more by memory and touch than sight. I made my way to the middle, which was where I thought the bandages were. Having found the object of my desires, I unfurled how much I thought I would need, and tore it off with a disconcertingly loud ripping noise. I hesitated for a split second, praying that I hadn't woken anyone else up, before hastily winding the gauze around my shoulder and tying it tight.</p><p>"Fairy… boy?"</p><p>I froze. "Mal?" Damn, I must not have been as silent as I thought I'd been.</p><p>"What're you doing up so late?"</p><p>"I… I…"</p><p>"..."</p><p>"I thought I heard something. Someone. I came down to check it out. Did I wake you?"</p><p>"I heard you… gasp. You alright?"</p><p>"I- yeah. I'm fine. Just thought I heard something threatening. I guess… old habits die hard? Heh… heh…"</p><p>We went back into the house, and said nothing more.</p><p>
  <strong>So, there's a taste. I'm not gonna update this until either I feel like it or I finish HGtS. One of the two.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Review Please!</strong>
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